Let's Watch My Favorite Part Again, Shall We?

Dear family,

Wow!  What a week!

We finally got in contact with J.  She is scheduled to be baptized in December.  She's been really sick, so hasn't been able to meet with us.  We think and feel that her progress will be slow due to all the chaos that's going on in her life right now.  But she loves coming to church, when she can, and so do her kids.  And she loves what she's learning from us, when we can meet with her.  I have a lot of hope for her and her family.  My goal is to teach her family and baptize them.

Sister Wallace and I talked about C this morning.  He's scheduled to be baptized next month, and we don't feel he's really repenting.  Yes, he's quitting coffee, and reading, and coming to church, most of the time, but we feel he's not doing it for God.  He's not changing for himself, but for another reason.  So we're going  to have to teach him in more depth about repentance and what that means.  It's hard to teach him because he can take offense very easily.  But Sister Wallace does a really good job teaching him.  He seems to learn more from her than me, which is fine by me.

Sister Wallace is doing a great job too.  Her teaching and communication skills are growing.  She is improving, and has grown more confident since she's been out on her mission.  It's still hard sometimes.  But I'll get over it.  I'm just glad that I pick my eternal companion.

I can't remember if I told you, but Don is now a ward missionary.  He gives us wonderful insight on what we need to do with people, how we can help them have spiritual experiences.

A.. is amazing!  We're going to set her for date this Friday.  She LOVEs coming to church and loves it when we come over and teach her.  We're bringing over RS members so she can get to know the women in the ward more, and she's loved everyone that we've brought over.  She's praying and she sees the blessings that come from it.

We taught her the Atonement last time we went and how through the Atonement we can overcome our sins and weaknesses.  We brought a woman with us that is very aquatinted with the addiction recovery program and she invited A.. to attend that.  A.. wants to obey the Word of Wisdom and is so willing to try out this program to help her overcome her problems.  She has called and texted us a million times thanking us for what we've done for her.  The funny thing is, is that we feel we've done nothing.  We know it's all the Spirit.  That's one of my favorite things about the mission--when people thank you for helping them change their life, but you know that you didn't do a thing to help them, you just delivered the message and the Spirit did the rest.

A.. is sent from God!  And people at church think she's a member because she dresses just like one!  It's awesome!

Mom, I'm not sure if Sister Gillespie emailed you some pictures yet.  They were of Ayla's 1st birthday.  Sister Gillespie accidentally signed up to feed us on her daughters birthday.  We had Ayla's favorite finger foods, and then the cake!  Oh man!  It was great!  It was falling over before they cut it, but as we were eating it just plop!  Split right in two and fell!  We were all laughing so hard!  It was such a fun night.  I love the Gillespie family.  One of their boys calls us Primary Girls.  I don't know why.

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I had this amazing energy that allowed me to work, work, work.  Rejections didn't bother me.  I knew I had to go out and find the elect.  It was a really neat feeling.  I know that the elect are out there.  I know that Heavenly Father will lead me to them if I ask Him to and then go out and do.

That's the problem with mainstream Christianity.  They don't understand what Nephi did.  If the Lord commands something then we need to go do it.  We can't just say, "I've accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior and so I'm saved."  FALSE DOCTRINE!  Or they ask for something then do nothing themselves to achieve it.  Elder Ellis (the 70) said it perfectly.  "We have to have the faith to ask to baptize, then go out and find those who are ready.  They're not going to come knocking at your apartment and say 'I want to be baptized.'"  Well that's just paraphrasing, but you get it.

On Saturday we had a really good lesson with D, who STILL isn't reading the BOM.  We took the senior missionaries with us, the Martins.  I was unsure of that, not the mission field kinda Mormons.  Little did I know that Elder Martin's conversion story (who knew he was a convert!) was exactly what D needed.  He wasn't looking for the gospel, but he found it.  D's not looking for the gospel, but she's finding it...if she'll read!  The Spirit was so strong.  I hope she'll read.  She didn't come to church though :(

Funny tracting story.

We go up to this man who just got home.  His wife said, "I bet those are Mormons"  then went in.  We introduced ourselves and the man said, "I'm so sorry you don't believe that Christ is our Lord and Savior, the Son of God."

"We do believe that."

"No you don't."

"Says who?  I do believe that Christ is my Savior, He is the Son of God."

"The Trinity."  Now he was right up close to us.  Saydi would have pushed him out of her bubble.  "You don't believe in the trinity." 

I wasn't going to put up with it.

"We believe that they are three separate very distinct beings.  And that is truth."

"No it's not.  And we'll see at judgment day who is right."

"Okay then, we will.  I’ll be looking forward to it."

"And I am going to be praying for you.  Praying that you will not have any success in this neighborhood in the name of Jesus Christ."

"Good luck with that sir.  My name is Sister Ostler by the way, nice to meet you."  He introduced himself as Satan...oh wait, no he didn't I forgot his name.  Unimportant.  I just know that at judgment day I'm going to ask permission to reply this part of his life again.  "Let's watch my favorite part again, shall we?" 

Name the movie! 

It'll be great.  That really didn't bother me, and his prayer was in vain.  Cuz we met a sinner that really wants a BOM to read and find out more.  Sadly we didn't have an LDM with us.  So on Sunday we're going back.  We even got his number!  Yay for the Holy Ghost!


I'm not sure that these will go through.  But the other night Sister Wallace said that she felt good about tracting Brighten.  I did too.  So we went. . . . and the pictures showed what we found . . . nothing!  NO houses!  It was super funny, since we both felt prompted to tract it.  Maybe because our other choice was downtown Sycamore and Heavenly Father didn't want us to go there in the night time.  Not alot of lights.

Okay, well time is almost up!  I love you All!

Sister Ostler

And I haven't received your letters yet.  Prolly cuz you all wrote them late, cuz my email was late.

Words of Action

In comp study this week we've been reviewing lesson four with all the commandments.  Let's all turn to preach my gospel, shall we?  and review the commandments

Obedience

Pray OFTEN

STUDY the Scriptures

KEEP the Sabbath Day Holy

FOLLOW the Prophet

KEEP the Ten Commandments

LIVE the Law of Chastity

OBEY the Word of Wisdom

KEEP the Law of Tithing

OBSERVE the Law of the Fast

OBEY and HONOR the Law

Notice how the bolded words are action words.  It simply doesn't say The Word of Wisdom, but to OBEY it. 

Truly the Lord's church is an action church.  We cannot be saved unless we do something.  And by doing something we become someone. 

Love Sister Ostler